To: Islander who wrote (57 ) 12/7/1999 10:11:00 AM From: Neenny Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 135
Islander, I am offering an opinion here as a response to your question. I am not personally a diabetic, but my husband has been since age 17, he just turned 40. After a near death diabetic crisis a year ago October, he has gone on an insulin pump. This has been a true blessing in our life. A blessing that comes with very sore fingers. My husband checks his blood sugar on an average of 4 times a day. Some times more, hopefully not less. (The requirement for monitoring blood sugars is even higher, than the 4 times a day, upon start up of a pump.) Any way you look at it, wether the diabetic is on diet control, pills, injection, or a pump, constant monitoring of the blood glucose is a must for insuring a quality of life and reducing physical complications. If one can decrease the risk of complications by using the new glucose watch, even if it now means double checking the blood glucose with by the finger stick method before adjusting the insulin or food intake...I would bet you would not hear any complaints from them. Read my previous post regarding the evolution of glucose monitors in the past 23 years, as I have seen it take place. Keep in mind, how far monitors have come in that time and ask yourself would it really be that long until the technology of the glucose watch is such that it to can be used solely when making a decision on the insulin/food needs of the diabetic. One more thought comes to my mind. Is the glucose watch actually not accurate enough to be used for that final decision?? Personally I am betting it is, and the required need to do a finger stick blood glucose before injecting insulin is a safe guard from a society that wants to blame any crisis on the the failure of a product and not their own indiscretion. I suspect it is a way of protecting the company from potential lawsuits IMHO-only.Bring on the glucose watch. Jane PS. What is your nearest personal experience with life with a diabetic???